The present invention relates to a spinning reel for fishing, and more particularly, to an improvement on a line roller mechanism for guiding a fishing line from a rod tip to a spool during taking-up of the fishing line. Further, the present invention relates to an improvement on a spinning reel described in the commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,474.
In a conventional spinning reel, during fishing line taking-up operation, a line roller revolves around a spool to guide a fishing line from a rod tip to the spool. Thus, the line roller constantly changes its position relative to a fishing line guide, and the fishing line on the spool also constantly changes its winding diameter as it is taken up. Further, the spool constantly changes its position because of its oscillating motion. Therefore, a route along which the fishing line is guided is unstable.
Consequently, various disadvantageous phenomena occur in the conventional spinning reel. For example, the fishing line may be caught between the line roller and a bail arm lever or between the line rotor and a line slider. Alternatively, the fishing line sliding on a guide surface of the line roller moves in an axial direction of the line roller during taking-up of the fishing line. This accumulates distortions on the part of the fishing line being guided by and wound around the spool. Then, as a result, the fishing line may be twined around the tip and/or hooked by the guide of the rod or a reel body to reduce a casting distance of the bait. Moreover, the fishing line may be loosened or even cut away from the spool during casting.
Japanese Patent 3057628 discloses a line roller positioned between a line slider and a bail arm lever. The line slider has one side in confrontation with the bail arm lever, and the one side is provided with an annular guide portion protruding toward the bail arm lever and concentric with the axis of the line roller. Similarly, the bail arm lever has one side in confrontation with the line slider, and the side is provided with an annular guide portion protruding toward the line slider and concentric to the axis of the line roller. In the fishing line rewinding state, the fishing line is brought into contact with the pair of annular guide portions, so that the fishing line can be guided and held at a given position on the line roller.
Japanese Patent 3102670 discloses a line roller disposed between a line slider and a bail arm lever. An outer diameter of the line roller serving as a line guiding surface is gradually reduced from the line slider side toward the bail arm lever side. The bail arm lever is provided with a guide protruding toward the line slider and over the line roller. In the fishing line rewinding state, the fishing line is brought into contact with the guide, so that the displacement of the fishing line toward the bail arm side is regulated.
However, these disclosed arrangements are based on the assumption that the fishing line is subjected to tensile force that exceeds a predetermined level during taking-up of the fishing line. In other words, when a light-weight lure or bait is used and hence the resistance of the water is very small so that the fishing line is not subjected to any significant tensile force, the fishing line is guided from the rod tip to the spool without being pressed against the annular guide portion of JP3057628 or the guide of JP3102670. Consequently, the line distortions can not be removed, and the fishing line may be loosened or entangled because the fishing line is wound over the spool without sufficient tension.
French Patent No. 1,252,667 and Japanese laid open patent application publication No. Hei 9-107852 disclose an improvement on overcoming line entanglement due to line distortion and shortage of line tension during line rewinding operation. A line roller is supported between a bail arm lever and a line slider through a bearing. The line roller includes a sleeve like fixed member fitted over an outer peripheral surface of a collar, and a sleeve like movable piece slidably disposed over the fixed member and movable in an axial direction thereof. The movable piece has one end portion formed with a spring retaining space. A spring accommodated in the space urges the movable member in one axial direction, so that a fishing line running from a tip end of a fishing rod can be nipped between the movable member and the fixed member.
However, since the fishing line is nipped between the sleeve like fixed member and the sleeve like movable piece slidably disposed over the fixed member and movable in an axial direction thereof, the fishing line cannot be caught and pinched between the two fixed member and movable piece unless the fishing line is subjected to tensile force that exceeds a predetermined level when the line is being taken up. Additionally, if a diameter of the fishing line is extremely small, the line can be caught in the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the line guide collar and the sleeve like fixed member or between the sleeve like fixed member and the sleeve like movable piece. As a result, the fishing line becomes damaged and is eventually cut.
Furthermore, the movable piece has one end portion formed with the spring retaining space, and only another end portion is slidably supported over the outer peripheral surface of the fixed movable member. Therefore, the movable piece may easily be warped to give rise to an operation failure by the load that arises when the fishing line is fed from the bail to the line roller. If the movable piece is made to be loosely fitted with the fixed member in order to avoid this problem, then foreign objects such as dirt and sands may be entered into a gap between the fixed member and the movable piece to cause operation failure and the fishing line may be caught into the gap at high probability.
Additionally, the fishing line is constantly pinched between the fixed member and the movable piece rotated together with the fixed member. Therefore, the line vibrates and produces noise to give the angler an unpleasant feeling when the line comes out from the gap between the fixed member and the movable piece as the line is guided from the line roller to the spool. Furthermore, large load is required for rotating the handle when a fish bites the bait to impart an increased tension to the fishing line, because the fishing line is always pinched between the fixed member and the movable piece. This give rise to a risk that the line may be cut by the heavy load to fail in fishing.
Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2530821 discloses a technique for dissolving the problem of loosening of the line that arises due to twining or insufficient tensile force of the line wound around the spool. To this effect, a friction member is disposed under the fishing line guide path extending from the rod tip to the line roller, and the friction member is designed to contact the underside of the fishing line for applying braking force to the line. However, if insufficient tension is applied to the fishing line due to the employment of a lightweight bait, the friction member cannot provide sufficient braking force and hence the above identified problem cannot be solved.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-35579 discloses a resisting member disposed forward of a line roller. The resisting member has a friction surface that imparts running resistance to the fishing line coming onto the line roller when the line is taken up. However, since the resisting member always engages the fishing line coming onto the line roller during fishing line winding operation, the problem of heavy turning of the handle for taking-up the fishing line and the risk of cutting the fishing line cannot be overcome. Moreover, the provision of such resisting member forces the user a cumbersome operation. That is, the user must take out the fishing line from the resisting member for line casting, and must set the fishing line at the resisting member after line casting. Consequently, fishing line rewinding operation cannot be started immediately after the bail is turned to its fishing line rewinding position. Additionally, since the resisting member projects from the external surface of the bail arm lever toward upward and frontward, the fishing line may be hooked at the resisting member to cause line cutting during line casting or when the position of the bail is shifted. Moreover, the projecting resisting member may degrade outer appearance of the spinning fishing reel.